Leslie Waters has been Seminole mayor since 2012.

SEMINOLE – Elected officials at the state and local level have endorses Leslie Waters in her campaign for reelection for Seminole mayor.

State Sen. Jeff Brandes, Rep. Nick DiCeglie, and Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri have all thrown their support to Waters. All are Republicans. Two Pinellas mayors – Eric Seidel of Oldsmar and Arthur Penny of South Pasadena – have also said they are endorsing Waters.

“I wholeheartedly endorse and support the 2019 re-election campaign of Leslie Waters for mayor, city of Seminole,” Gualtieri said.

Waters is also getting support from Maria Scruggs, president of the NAACP-St. Petersburg Chapter.

“If I lived in Seminole I would vote for Mayor Waters,” Scruggs said. “We need leaders in the 21st Century that are open to listening to and trying to understand people who are different than themselves. This mayor and I differ politically but there are so many things we find common ground on.”

Waters  has been Seminole’s mayor since 2012 when she was chosen as interim mayor. She has served on the Seminole council since March 2009. She served as vice mayor from 2010-2011 and was chosen interim mayor in November 2012 when then-Mayor Jimmy Johnson stepped down because of health issues. She was elected mayor in March 2013.

Before serving on the Seminole council, Waters served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1998-2006. From 2006-2008, she served as speaker pro tem for the State House. She left the house because of term limits.

She is facing a challenge from political newcomer Darren Clark. (For related story, click here.)

Seminole has a seven-member council comprised of a mayor and six council members that serve for three-year terms. The mayor and council are elected at large in a nonpartisan election.

The council meets at least twice a month and is responsible for passing a budget, setting policy and hiring a city manager and city attorney. The city manager is responsible for the day-to-day activities of the city. The mayor is paid $11,000 annually. The Seminole budget is about $18.4 million a year.

Seminole’s election is Nov. 5. The last day to register to vote in the election is Oct. 7.

For information about Waters, go to facebook.com.

Seminole | Politics | Elections | Leslie Waters | Tampabay News | News Tampa | News Seminole

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